Trae Young was ejected from the Wizards-Rockets game on Monday night. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t even remember Young had been traded to Washington earlier this season because he hasn't played since Dec. 27 and still has yet to make his Wizards debut, which is why his ejection is so noteworthy.
Young was on the bench in street clothes Monday night, a few hours after news broke that he plans to make his Wizards debut when the team plays the Jazz on Thursday. Then things got chippy.
Young walked onto the court to yell at the referees after they ignored his teammate Jamir Watkins getting shoved to the ground by Houston's Tari Eason. They also seemed to miss Bilal Coulibaly trying to push Watkins and Eason away from each other, but a whistle was finally blown when Eason gave Watkins another shove. That happened at the same time Young was earning his ejection near the bench.
As referee Tony Brothers took the microphone and announced they would review the play, he started by surprising just about everyone—including the announcers—by revealing that Young had been ejected.
Getting ejected before playing a game for a team is a rare feat, but the team probably won't mind this since Young was sticking up for a teammate.
After Young headed to the locker room, Brothers gave Eason a technical foul for the original shove and then gave Watkins and Eason double-technical fouls. Through the review, Eason could be seen having an animated conversation with some fans behind the bench and then he gestured back towards the Wizards bench or the officials before he finally left the court.
Last Monday, Eason ended the season of Jazz guard Vince Williams Jr. when he veered into him on a fastbreak. Williams suffered a torn ACL on the reckless play by Eason, who apologized after the game.
It somehow doesn't feel like an apology is coming this time.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Trae Young Ejected From Wizards Game Days Before Making Washington Debut.
